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Buying a Home: Size (and Style)
Before we get to Size, let's talk about Style. Every part of the country has its
signature favorites: Cape Cod, Old Salem saltbox, Arizona adobe, California stylin' (that is what they're doing out there, isn't it?)
Here in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area, historically the most popular style of house has been Traditional (Read colonial, see accompanying pictures). Jaded realtors here sometimes refer to them as "four and a door", a somewhat cynical reference to the balance and symmetry that characterized so much of our Founding Fathers' architecture. Still, lots of people choose them and for a variety of very good reasons.
But that has been changing rapidly over the past decade (thanks in no small part to Imaginative Mothers), to the point where now more houses here are in the manner we call Transitional. That means while they often incorporate variations of some traditional elements on the outside, or facade, they are in many ways thoroughly modern Millie on the inside, with soaring ceilings, open kitchens, vaulted baths, coffered master bedrooms and the like. However, many homes in this category still include traditional finishing touches in moldings, wainscoting, chair rails, fireplace surrounds, doors, etc. I'd say Transitional has probably become the best-selling style in the RTP area.
Contemporary. Frankly, there aren't so many of these here, except perhaps in the Chapel Hill and Durham areas, although in the thirteen years that I have been listing and selling here, and as more and more folks have come in from California and other places, the popularity of Contemporary has steadily risen. But keep in mind that when the time comes to sell, there probably will still be fewer potential buyers for this design than for others. This doesn't mean you won't get your money out, but it does indicate you may be a longer time on the market than your Transitional or Traditional neighbors. On the other hand, I have had two Contemporary listings in Cary awhile back sell in less than a week.
Yes, we still have plenty of both old and new Ranch homes, and these are popular with people who want or need to get away from stairs. But understand that the price per square foot for a Ranch design is higher, for the simple reason that everything is on one level and it costs more to build "out" than it does to build "up". I believe Ranch designs are now once again gaining in popularity here, in part because they are increasingly attractive to a broader demographic. The same considerations apply to a somewhat lesser degree with Split Level designs. We have plenty of them, mostly older, and they have their appeal for enough buyers to keep them selling at a healthy clip.
You will see a lot of older (many fully restored) Victorian houses in downtown Raleigh, as well as in surrounding towns and villages, and they are popular enough that you will find a few new or newer models in our suburban areas. If Victorian floats your boat, you'll have plenty of water under your keel here at RTP.
If your heart is set on an old Farm House (or a new version that looks like an old Farm House) your desire can be fulfilled, no problem. And if the words "horse farm" or "acreage" are in your real estate vocabulary, Hurray! As a horsewoman myself, I have been thrilled to sell numerous horse properties over the years, and there are quite a few available now, some of them close in, and for considerably less money than you might imagine. I'd love to show them to you.
Finally, when my husband Ron and I moved back here 13 years ago, you could just about count the number of Townhomes on your fingers and toes, and Condominiums was an ugly word. Not any more. From downtown to the suburbs and everywhere in between, Townhomes have become popular, plentiful and generally remain on the market about the same length of time as detached homes. Condominiums, too, are becoming a common sight; in fact, it is now viewed by many as rather chic to live in a condominium, particularly inside the beltline and even more so downtown.
Now, on to Size. The amount of square footage or number of rooms you need also takes some family brainstorming. Don't be deceived by the five-bedroom two-and-a-half bath house you read about, with all formals and a two-car garage for under $180,000. Look at the fine print. It's all packed into 2000 square feet and a malnourished hobbit would have trouble turning around in four of the bedrooms. And the closer you look, the more you find not to like. "Bargains" like that are almost always worth less than you think you are stealing them for, and just wait until you go to sell them! And if you are thinking of going in for a "handyman's special", just make sure that you are, indeed, handypersons.
If not, focus instead on what will make a comfortable living arrangement for all members of your family, and be prepared to pay a fair market price to get it. You will be happier when you move in, and you will for certain be happier when you are ready to move on up, or over or out, or wherever life may take you down the road.
If you have children, do they have separate bedrooms, and if not, how soon before they will require them? You don't want to find yourselves looking for a bigger house in just a year or two. Ditto if a new baby is in your immediate future. If you are on a budget, as most of us are, you may have to decide which is more important, a formal living or dining room, or an extra bedroom with an office thrown in. Garages are popular here, and you may find it more difficult to resell your home if you buy one sans a roof to put over your car's hood. A garage also may mean you can have what we refer to here as a "bonus" room, for the simple reason that once you decide on a two-car garage, it is relatively inexpensive to add the equivalent of a two—car TV or playroom over it. Bonus rooms are typically set away from the master bedroom and the downstairs areas, and underneath there is nothing but the automobiles to disturb.
If you are on that same budget, but have a large family requiring a generously-sized house with plenty of room outside for pets and play, think outside the beltline. And depending of where you work (i.e. downtown) steel yourself for a longer commute. Now, if you live in or near major cities from Washington, D.C. to New York and Boston, or if you are currently spending large chunks of your life parked on Southern California's 101 Freeway. You may well chuckle at what we call a commute. We are not gridlocked here. And if sensible planners continue to have their way, we may not become so, at least for many years. But there are certain times of day when particular roads are teeth—gnashingly clogged. And you need a realtor-we suggest TeamSold-who will level with you right up front about where those bottlenecks are and the ingenious ways we old—timers have to get around them.
They are primarily Interstate 40 between the Research Triangle Park and Raleigh, going west in the mornings and east during the evening commute; highway 55 between Apex and Durham during rush hours; and the beltline between Capitol Boulevard south and Interstate 40 east, also during rush hours. (As for the new, partially completed I 540 beltline, if it were frozen you could play ice hockey on it just about any time of day.) Now there, we've leveled. So what about our secret ways around the logjams? Not so fast! We'll tell you about those after we become your realtor.
Having settled on the number of rooms and approximate square footage, consider traffic patterns. Is there a back stairway for the kids to come and go when you are entertaining? Or is that back stairway going to be some teenager's route to freedom when Mom and Dad are sound asleep down the hall? If you have very young children, should you consider a master bedroom adjacent to—as opposed to on a different level from—the nursery? (Some people overcome this challenge via electronic baby monitors, but it is a consideration you need to weigh.)
Do you need an eat-in kitchen, or one with a nearby breakfast area, to accommodate a large or growing household? Remember that you want to be able to navigate between the stove and sink without tripping over Fido, or worse yet, Mikey.
We could go on to tell you abut all the experiences and examples that decades in the real estate business have taught us, and we'd end up crashing the internet. And anyway, doesn't all this to-in and fro-ing come down to just plain common sense than any responsible adult knows how to exercise? The answer is yes, until those adults confront the stress of a new job in a distant place surrounded by strangers and with inescapable deadlines looming around every unfamiliar bend in the road.
Then we end up thinking and saying the strangest things and making the most unaccountable decisions, so that later on we wonder how it came to pass that we temporarily lost our minds on the way here. Not to mention, Where are the movers? And, oh my gosh, How are we going to fit that nine—foot Georgian breakfront into this ten-foot dining room?
Even we get headaches sometimes just thinking about all these relatively small decisions that often add up to an overwhelming set of demands on our most organized and detail-oriented clients. But that's our job. To answer honestly and directly all your questions, finding answers when we don't know. And to ask all the appropriate questions, listening attentively to your answers, discerning your requirements and helping you to fulfill the dreams and expectations you brought with you to our neck of the woods.
And-as we like to put it—all with a maximum of rewards and a minimum of stress to you and yours. It's a big job. But if you make a sound first decision by choosing TeamSold, you will come to appreciate—like hundreds of other satisfied clients over many years—that we deliver what we promise.
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